Steven Chan

We have just released four new enhancements for Concurrent Processing in E-Business Suite 12.1.3:

Storage Strategies for Log and Output File Locations: Create custom storage strategies for management of large numbers of concurrent processing log and output files. Customers can specify the strategy that best suits their particular needs. These strategies are called schemes.

Output File Naming Strategies: The output file naming conventions are now based on USER.REQID and REQID.OUT. The old USER format is desupported.

Timed Shutdown: submit a normal, graceful shutdown and also specify a number of minutes after which an Abort command will be executed. After this number of minutes has passed, and Concurrent Processing has not yet shut down, the graceful shutdown will be converted to an Abort, and all remaining Concurrent Processing processes will be aborted.

64-bit Java Support for the Output Post-Processor Service: A 64-bit Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is now supported for the Output Post Processor (OPP). This support allows for a larger heap size to be set, compared to the 2G heap size that 32-bit Java allows. This larger heap size will decrease out-of-memory errors. Note that the 64-bit JVM can be run for the OPP service only.

The official word on all EBS certifications is the Certifications database on My Oracle Support (MOS):

Since I announce all of my team's certifications here on this blog, I've also created a one-page summary of all blog articles covering EBS technology stack certifications. This summary page is maintained manually, so if there's any gap between the MOS Certifications database and this summary, the Certifications database wins.

Our blogging engine has changed multiple times over the years, so the URL for the Certifications summary has also changed periodically. The Certifications summary lives here now - update your bookmarks:

Oracle is pleased to announce the availability of the Oracle E-Business Suite Person Data Removal Tool, designed to remove (obfuscate) data associated with people in E-Business Suite systems. Customers can apply the tool to select information in their E-Business Suite production systems to help address internal operational and external regulatory requirements, such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Mozilla offers an Extended Support Release based on an official release of Firefox for organizations that are unable to mass-deploy new consumer-oriented versions of Firefox every six weeks. For more details about Firefox ESR, see the Mozilla ESR FAQ.

E-Business Suite certified with Firefox Extended Support Releases Only

New personal versions of Firefox on the Rapid Release channel are released roughly every six weeks. It is impractical for us to certify these new personal Rapid Release versions of Firefox with the Oracle E-Business Suite because a given Firefox release is generally obsolete by the time we complete the certification.

From Firefox 10 and onwards, Oracle E-Business Suite is certified only with selected Firefox Extended Support Release versions. Oracle has no current plans to certify new Firefox personal releases on the Rapid Release channel with the E-Business Suite.

Plug-in Support removed in Firefox ESR 60

Mozilla has removed plug-in support in Firefox ESR 60. This means Firefox ESR 60 cannot run Forms-based content in EBS using the Java plugin method.

If your Firefox ESR 60 end-users run Forms-based content in EBS, you must switch from the JRE plugin to Java Web Start.

EBS patching policy for Firefox compatibility issues

Mozilla stresses their goal of ensuring that Firefox personal versions will continue to offer the same level of application compatibility as Firefox Extended Support Releases.

Oracle E-Business Suite Development will issue new E-Business Suite patches or workarounds that can be reproduced with Firefox Extended Support Releases. If you report compatibility issues with Firefox personal releases that cannot be reproduced with Firefox Extended Support Releases, your options are:

Deploy a certified Firefox Extended Support Release version instead of the Firefox personal version

Report the incompatibility between Firefox ESR and Firefox personal to Mozilla

Mozilla may release new updates to Firefox ESR versions to address high-risk/high-impact security issues. These updates are considered to be certified with the E-Business Suite on the day that they're released. You do not need to wait for a certification from Oracle before deploying these new Firefox ESR security updates.

This is a long-overdue tip of the hat to my colleagues in the Oracle Solaris group. I recently learned about an article they posted a couple of years ago about E-Business Suite 12.2 running on Oracle Solaris Cluster:

It is possible to install an EBS primary application tier and the associated WebLogic Administration Server on a logical host using Oracle Solaris Clusters. If the physical node hosting these EBS services fail, then Oracle Solaris Cluster will automatically failover to another physical node in the cluster.

This is very cool! In a traditional EBS multinode environment, any user sessions on an affected failed node that were in-flight (meaning, in the middle of a transaction) would be lost. Users would need to redo any transactions that were not saved when their node when down. Deploying EBS on Oracle Solaris Clusters allow for the failover without any impact to those in-flight transactions.

If you're already running EBS on Solaris, you should definitely monitor this blog.

These updates are provided in cumulative Release Update Packs, and cumulative Bundle Patches that can be applied on top of the Release Update Packs. In this context, cumulative means that the latest RUP or Bundle Patch contains everything released earlier.

The latest OAF update for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.6 is now available:

Extended Support for Enterprise Manager Grid Control 11.1 ended on April 30, 2018. EM 11 is now in Sustaining Support. You will still have access to existing resources, but no new updates, fixes, or certifications will be produced for EM 11.

All Enterprise Manager 11 customers should upgrade to the latest EM release certified with EBS. As of today, the latest EM release certified with EBS is Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 13c.

Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator (Web ADI) allows you to use Microsoft Office applications such as Excel, Word, and Project to upload data to Oracle E-Business Suite. For example, you can use Excel to create formatted spreadsheets on your desktop to download, view, edit, validate, and upload Oracle E-Business Suite data.

Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator supports user interface components such as a list of values (LOV) in spreadsheets. In an Oracle Web Applications Desktop Integrator document, a LOV is displayed as a poplist or as a standard Search and Select view. A table-validated LOV is a type of LOV that only displays a set of values from a table.

A dependent LOV restricts the values displayed by a table-validated LOV based on the values present in another field in the spreadsheet.

We have just published a new white paper that describes how to define dependent List of Values:

WebADI and Report Manager use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros to integrate with Microsoft Office. All VBA macros must be signed with a valid digital certificate. If the certificate is invalid or expired, new Microsoft Office will display a warning in the Message Bar like this:

The workarounds for handling these security alerts vary depending upon how the end-user's desktop is configured or centrally managed via Office group policies. For more information about Microsoft Office macro security handling, see:

Our last update to Web ADI for EBS 12.1 and 12.2 renewed the digital certificates that were valid to August 2018.

A new SHA-256 digital certificate is now available for EBS 12.1.3 and 12.2.3 (and later 12.2 releases). This new patch will prevent security alert warning messages from being displayed in Microsoft Office. The new digital certificates are valid through February 2020.

There are three different updates available -- you should pick the patch that corresponds to your EBS version:

Office 2007 does not recognize documents that have been digitally signed using SHA-256 certificates. In such cases adding the documents storage location to 'Trusted Locations' can be used to avoid this issue. Further information is available through the Microsoft document:

ETCC has been updated to include bug fixes and patching combinations for the following recommended versions of the following updates:

Oracle Database Proactive BP 12.1.0.2.180417

Oracle Database PSU 12.1.0.2.180417

Oracle JavaVM Component Database PSU 12.1.0.2.180417

Oracle Database Patch for Exadata BP 12.1.0.2.180417

Oracle Database PSU 12.1.0.2.180417

Oracle JavaVM Component Database PSU 12.1.0.2.180417

Microsoft Windows Database BP 12.1.0.2.180417

Oracle JavaVM Component 12.1.0.2.180417 on Windows

Microsoft Windows Database BP 12.1.0.2.180417

Oracle JavaVM Component 12.1.0.2.180417 on Windows

Obtaining ETCC

We recommend always using the latest version of ETCC, as new bugfixes will not be checked by older versions of the utility. The latest version of the ETCC tool can be downloaded via Patch 17537119 from My Oracle Support.

You can use Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (BI Publisher) to create and manage reports for E-Business Suite data. Oracle BI Publisher Desktop 12.2.1.3.0 is certified with Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 and 12.1 for the following Microsoft Office releases:

Microsoft Office 2016

Microsoft Office 2013

Microsoft Office 2010

What does this certification cover?

Oracle BI Publisher Desktop consists of client-side tools to assist in the design and testing of layout templates for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 and 12.1. These layout templates are executed by Oracle BI Publisher on the Oracle E-Business Suite application tier as illustrated in the diagram below. The desktop utility consists of the following tools:

Here are our latest upgrade recommendations for E-Business Suite updates and technology stack components. These quarterly recommendations are based upon the latest updates to Oracle's product strategies, latest support timelines, and newly-certified releases.

JRE 1.7 and JRE 1.6 updates included an important change: the Java deployment technology (i.e. the JRE browser plugin) is no longer available for those Java releases. It is expected that Java deployment technology will not be packaged in later Java 6 or 7 updates.

JRE 1.7.0_161 (and later 1.7 updates) and 1.6.0_171 (and later 1.6 updates) can still runJava content. They cannot launchJava.

End-users who only have JRE 1.7 or JRE 1.6 -- and not JRE 1.8 -- installed on their Windows desktop will be unable to launch Java content.

End-users who need to launch JRE 1.7 or 1.6 for compatibility with other third-party Java applications must also install the JRE 1.8.0_152 or later JRE 1.8 updates on their desktops.

Once JRE 1.8.0_152 or later JRE 1.8 updates are installed on a Windows desktop, it can be used to launch JRE 1.7 and JRE 1.6.

How do I get help with this change?

EBS customers requiring assistance with this change to Java deployment technology can log a Service Request for assistance from the Java Support group.

All JRE 6, 7, and 8 releases are certified with EBS upon release

Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops:

From JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the JRE 6 codeline

From JRE 1.7.0_10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline

From JRE 1.8.0_25 and later updates on the JRE 8 codeline

We test all new JRE releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.

You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 6, 7, or 8 releases to your EBS users' desktops.

32-bit and 64-bit versions certified

This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions for various Windows operating systems. See the respective Recommended Browser documentation for your EBS release for details.

Where are the official patch requirements documented?

All patches required for ensuring full compatibility of the E-Business Suite with JRE 8 are documented in these Notes:

Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JRE 8 for Windows desktop clients?

No.

This upgrade is highly recommended but remains optional while Java 6 and 7 are covered by Extended Support. Updates will be delivered via My Oracle Support, where you can continue to receive critical bug fixes and security fixes as well as general maintenance for JRE 6 and 7 desktop clients. Note that there are different impacts of enabling JRE Auto-Update depending on your current JRE release installed, despite the availability of ongoing support for JRE 6 and 7 for EBS customers; see the next section below.

Impact of enabling JRE Auto-Update

Java Auto-Update is a feature that keeps desktops up-to-date with the latest Java release. The Java Auto-Update feature connects to java.com at a scheduled time and checks to see if there is an update available.

Enabling the JRE Auto-Update feature on desktops with JRE 6 installed will have no effect.

With the release of the January Critical patch Updates, the Java Auto-Update Mechanism will automatically update JRE 7 plug-ins to JRE 8.

The upgrade to JRE 8 is recommended for EBS users, but some users may need to run older versions of JRE 6 or 7 on their Windows desktops for reasons unrelated to the E-Business Suite.

Most EBS configurations with IE and Firefox use non-static versioning by default. JRE 8 will be invoked instead of earlier JRE releases if both are installed on a Windows desktop. For more details, see "Appendix B: Static vs. Non-static Versioning and Set Up Options" in Notes 290807.1 and 393931.1.

JDK 8 is not certified with the E-Business Suite. EBS customers should continue to run EBS servers on JDK 6 or 7.

Known Issues

Internet Explorer Performance Issue

Launching JRE 1.8.0_73 through Internet Explorer will have a delay of around 20 seconds before the applet starts to load (Java Console will come up if enabled).

This issue fixed in JRE 1.8.0_74. Internet Explorer users are recommended to uptake this version of JRE 8.

Form Focus Issue Clicking outside the frame during forms launch may cause a loss of focus when running with JRE 8 and can occur in all Oracle E-Business Suite releases. To fix this issue, apply the following patch:

This update includes an important change: the Java deployment technology (i.e. the JRE browser plugin) is no longer available as of this Java release. It is expected that Java deployment technology will not be packaged in later Java 7 updates.

JRE 1.7.0_161 and later JRE 1.7 updates can still runJava content. These releases cannot launchJava.

End-users who only have JRE 1.7.0_161 and later JRE 1.7 updates -- but not JRE 1.8 -- installed on their Windows desktop will be unable to launch Java content.

End-users who need to launch JRE 1.7 for compatibility with other third-party Java applications must also install the October 2017 CPU release JRE 1.8.0_151 or later JRE 1.8 updates on their desktops.

Once JRE 1.8.0_151 or a later JRE 1.8 update is installed on a Windows desktop, it can be used to launch JRE 1.7.0_161 and later updates on the JRE 1.7 codeline.

How do I get help with this change?

EBS customers requiring assistance with this change to Java deployment technology can log a Service Request for assistance from the Java Support group.

All JRE 6, 7, and 8 releases are certified with EBS upon release

Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops:

From JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the JRE 6 codeline

From JRE 1.7.0_10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline

From JRE 1.8.0_25 and later updates on the JRE 8 codeline

We test all new JRE releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.

You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 6, 7, or 8 releases to your EBS users' desktops.

Effects of new support dates on Java upgrades for EBS environments

Support dates for the E-Business Suite and Java have changed. Please review the sections below for more details:

What does this mean for Oracle E-Business Suite users?

Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JRE 7 for Windows desktop clients?

Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JDK 7 for EBS application tier servers?

32-bit and 64-bit versions certified

This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions for various Windows operating systems. See the respective Recommended Browser documentation for your EBS release for details.

Both JDK and JRE packages are now contained in a single combined download. Download the "JDK" package for both the desktop client JRE and the server-side JDK package.

Coexistence of multiple JRE releases Windows desktops

The upgrade to JRE 8 is recommended for EBS users, but some users may need to run older versions of JRE 6 or 7 on their Windows desktops for reasons unrelated to the E-Business Suite.

Most EBS configurations with IE and Firefox use non-static versioning by default. JRE 8 will be invoked instead of earlier JRE releases if both are installed on a Windows desktop. For more details, see "Appendix B: Static vs. Non-static Versioning and Set Up Options" in Notes 290807.1 and 393931.1.

Java Auto-Update Mechanism

With the release of the January 2015 Critical patch Updates, the Java Auto-Update Mechanism will automatically update JRE 7 plug-ins to JRE 8.

Coexistence of multiple JRE releases Windows desktops

The upgrade to JRE 8 is recommended for EBS users, but some users may need to run older versions of JRE 6 or 7 on their Windows desktops for reasons unrelated to the E-Business Suite.

Most EBS configurations with IE and Firefox use non-static versioning by default. JRE 8 will be invoked instead of earlier JRE releases if both are installed on a Windows desktop. For more details, see "Appendix B: Static vs. Non-static Versioning and Set Up Options" in Notes 290807.1 and 393931.1.

Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JDK 7 for EBS application tier servers?

JRE ("Deployment Technology") is used for desktop clients. JDK is used for application tier servers.

JDK upgrades for E-Business Suite application tier servers are highly recommended but currently remain optional while Java 6 is covered by Extended Support. Updates will be delivered via My Oracle Support, where you can continue to receive critical bug fixes and security fixes as well as general maintenance for JDK 6 for application tier servers.

Java SE 6 (excluding Deployment Technology) is covered by Extended Support until December 2018. All EBS customers with application tier servers on Windows, Solaris, and Linux must upgrade to JDK 7 (excluding Deployment Technology) by December 2018. EBS customers running their application tier servers on other operating systems should check with their respective vendors for the support dates for those platforms.

This update includes an important change: the Java deployment technology (i.e. the JRE browser plugin) is no longer available as of the Java 1.6.0_171 release. It is expected that Java deployment technology will not be packaged in later Java 6 updates.

JRE 1.6.0_171 and later JRE 1.6 updates can still runJava content. These releases cannot launchJava.

End-users who only have JRE 1.6.0_171 and later JRE 1.6 updates -- but not JRE 1.8 -- installed on their Windows desktop will be unable to launch Java content.

End-users who need to launch JRE 1.6 for compatibility with other third-party Java applications must also install the October 2017 PSU release JRE 1.8.0_152 or later JRE 1.8 updates on their desktops.

Once JRE 1.8.0_152 or a later JRE 1.8 update is installed on a Windows desktop, it can be used to launch JRE 1.6.0_171 and later updates on the JRE 1.6 codeline.

How do I get help with this change?

EBS customers requiring assistance with this change to Java deployment technology can log a Service Request for assistance from the Java Support group.

All JRE 6, 7, and 8 releases are certified with EBS upon release

Our standard policy is that all E-Business Suite customers can apply all JRE updates to end-user desktops:

From JRE 1.6.0_03 and later updates on the JRE 6 codeline

From JRE 1.7.0_10 and later updates on the JRE 7 codeline

From JRE 1.8.0_25 and later updates on the JRE 8 codeline

We test all new JRE releases in parallel with the JRE development process, so all new JRE releases are considered certified with the E-Business Suite on the same day that they're released by our Java team.

You do not need to wait for a certification announcement before applying new JRE 6, 7, or 8 releases to your EBS users' desktops.

Effects of new support dates on Java upgrades for EBS environments

Support dates for the E-Business Suite and Java have changed. Please review the sections below for more details:

What does this mean for Oracle E-Business Suite users?

Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JRE 7 for Windows desktop clients?

Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JDK 7 for EBS application tier servers?

32-bit and 64-bit versions certified

This certification includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit JRE versions for various Windows operating systems. See the respective Deploying JRE documentation for your EBS release for details.

How can EBS customers obtain Java 6 updates?

Java 6 is now available only via My Oracle Support for E-Business Suite users. You can find links to this release, including Release Notes, documentation, and the actual Java downloads here:

Both JDK and JRE packages are contained in a single combined download after 6u45. Download the "JDK" package for both the desktop client JRE and the server-side JDK package.

Coexistence of multiple JRE releases Windows desktops

The upgrade to JRE 8 is recommended for EBS users, but some users may need to run older versions of JRE 6 or 7 on their Windows desktops for reasons unrelated to the E-Business Suite.

Most EBS configurations with IE and Firefox use non-static versioning by default. JRE 8 will be invoked instead of earlier JRE releases if both are installed on a Windows desktop. For more details, see "Appendix B: Static vs. Non-static Versioning and Set Up Options" in Notes 290807.1 and 393931.1.

Will EBS users be forced to upgrade to JDK 7 for EBS application tier servers?

JRE ("Deployment Technology") is used for desktop clients. JDK is used for application tier servers.

JDK upgrades for E-Business Suite application tier servers are highly recommended but currently remain optional while Java 6 is covered by Extended Support. Updates will be delivered via My Oracle Support, where you can continue to receive critical bug fixes and security fixes as well as general maintenance for JDK 6 for application tier servers.

Java SE 6 (excluding Deployment Technology) is covered by Extended Support until December 2018. All EBS customers with application tier servers on Windows, Solaris, and Linux must upgrade to JDK 7 by December 2018. EBS customers running their application tier servers on other operating systems should check with their respective vendors for the support dates for those platforms.

The Critical Patch Update (CPU) for April 2018 was released on April 17, 2018. Oracle strongly recommends applying the patches as soon as possible.

The Critical Patch Update Advisory is the starting point for relevant information. It includes a list of products affected, pointers to obtain the patches, a summary of the security vulnerabilities, and links to other important documents.

Supported products that are not listed in the "Supported Products and Components Affected" Section of the advisory do not require new patches to be applied.

The Critical Patch Update Advisory is available at the following location:

The least invasive method of fine-tuning your E-Business Suite environment to your users' needs is via personalizations. If that approach is insufficient, you can create custom applications via Forms, Reports, and other technologies that segregate your customizations from the standard functionality provided with Oracle E-Business Suite.

We have updated our white paper that describes steps for creating these custom application extensions:

Based on your feedback via Oracle Support, we've expanded various sections with additional background. Please feel free to comment on your experiences with this documentation or by logging a Service Request with Oracle Support.

These updates are provided in cumulative Release Update Packs, and cumulative Bundle Patches that can be applied on top of the Release Update Packs. In this context, cumulative means that the latest RUP or Bundle Patch contains everything released earlier.

The latest OAF update for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2.6 is now available: